AMSTERDAM - Ajax have reached an agreement with Chelsea over the transfer of coach Henk ten Cate to the Premier League club.
The Amsterdam club made the announcement on Monday after it was revealed Ten Cate held talks with the London club last week.
A statement on the club's official website, www.ajax.nl, said: "Following talks with Chelsea, Ajax have agreed the direct transfer of Henk ten Cate to Chelsea."
Ten Cate will now have to negotiate a contract with the London club.
The Ajax statement continued: "Last week, Ten Cate informed the club he wanted us to negotiate with Chelsea after he had been approached personally.
"Ajax discussed it internally and it is now down to Henk ten Cate to discuss his own contract with Chelsea."
Ajax fans will not be sorry to see the back of Ten Cate should he complete his move to Stamford Bridge, where it is expected he will work on Avram Grant's coaching staff.
Ten Cate's men lie second in the Dutch league but it is in European competition where they have struggled this season, crashing out of two competitions.
They lost to Slavia Prague in Champions League qualifying before going down to Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Cup first round.
Fan frustration boiled over during Sunday's 2-2 draw at Sparta Rotterdam when fans aimed abuse at Ten Cate, club chairman John Jaakke and defender Jurgen Colin.
Regular chants of "Henkie, get lost and take Jaakke and Colin with you" rang around the away end as Ajax struggled to gain a point.
Ten Cate, who previously worked under compatriot Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona, responded by defending his record in charge, which has yielded two trophies - last season`s KNVB Beker and the Dutch Super Cup.
He said: "What must I say about that? Under my leadership we have played 41 games, gained 92 points and scored over a hundred goals."
Ten Cate was non-committal when asked whether the Sparta clash would be his last in charge with a two-week break for international fixtures now looming.
He added: "I can't say if I was sitting on the Ajax bench for the last time.
"That's not up to me. It's now something between Ajax and Chelsea.
"I don't know more than that the clubs are speaking.
"And if they don't come to an agreement I will gladly be coach of Ajax until the end of the season. And if they reach a deal I will go to Chelsea."
Reports in Holland have suggested Ajax would approach Marco van Basten should Ten Cate leave and ask him to combine club duties with his existing job as Holland coach.
But the Dutch FA (KNVB) have ruled out a dual role for the former Ajax and AC Milan striker.
KNVB director Henk Kesler told De Telegraaf newspaper: "(It's) absolutely not something we want to speak about.
"We won't allow the coach and his assistant John van`t Schip to bet on two horses. Holland deserves their full attention in the run-up to Euro 2008."
